Ich Bin Eine Bad German

Great commentary from the NY Times’ Frank Rich. Please read it in its entirety and give real thought to the matter: Are you a good German or a bad German? (We know what we are — we are among the few who never bought Bush’s “war” and have screamed about it — and have been punished for it in myriad ways — since the beginning.)

An excerpt from Rich’s “The ‘Good Germans’ Among Us”:

I have always maintained that the American public was the least culpable of the players during the run-up to Iraq. The war was sold by a brilliant and fear-fueled White House propaganda campaign designed to stampede a nation still shellshocked by 9/11. Both Congress and the press — the powerful institutions that should have provided the checks, balances and due diligence of the administration’s case — failed to do their job. Had they done so, more Americans might have raised more objections. This perfect storm of democratic failure began at the top.

As the war has dragged on, it is hard to give Americans en masse a pass. We are too slow to notice, let alone protest, the calamities that have followed the original sin.

Watch out for the “Good Germans” in our midst. They are not friends of justice, equality, peace or truth.